Blood is Thicker
by chaoticviolin
Summary: Sakura never thought that a loud mouthed blond and an almost emotionally vacant ex-ROOT member would be the two most prominent and most loved men in her life. She also never thought the boy she previously loved would betray her and turn his back on the village as a whole. Sometimes, it takes a good while for you realize who you love. May change to M later.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **Thicker than Water**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

"Seriously?"

Really, she shouldn't be surprised anymore, the novelty was beginning to wear off when it came to patching her teammates back together. She should start some kind of tally system on her wall.

"Naruto merely can't dodge." A cool voice came from behind her. She had passed Sai sitting on her couch on the way in and had raised a slim pink eyebrow at him in question, but the boy had just tilted his chin in the direction of the kitchen.

Sakura gave a half-hearted sigh as a small smile tugged at her lips, taking in the slumped form in her kitchen. Naruto quickly smiled sheepishly at her in response before scowling in the direction of her couch. "Hey, that's not fair, you cheated!"

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes as she moved further in to the kitchen and placed her grocery bag on the counter smoothly. Turning, Sakura approached Naruto and inspected the wound on his side before narrowing her eyes at the artist who had begun to poke through her grocery bag. "Did you sic one of your taloned birds at Naruto again?"

The ninja in question didn't have time to respond before the blonde in front of her yelled an indignant "Yes!" before flinching and holding his side. Sakura mulled on the idea of tossing a kunai at Sai for pulling one of her apples out of the bag and beginning to munch on it but decided against it, turning her attention to Naruto instead. She scowled as she gently took away the hand that was gripping his side, "Do I really need to go referee your training sessions?"

Naruto grumbled under his breath and Sai smiled around a mouthful of fruit, wisely knowing when not to answer. Sakura gently pushed the blonde's jacket off his shoulders, letting it drop to her now—stained tile before pulling out a kunai and slashing his already torn shirt down the front to get better access to the wound.

Green chakra flickered to life in Sakura's hand as she moved between Naruto's legs to press her hand against his side. It seemed there was not only torn muscle and skin, but broken ribs that had to be painful with every breath be took. She focused, pressing her free hand around his back to ease the ribs back into place and feeling as the muscles reconnected with her other hand. Sakura loved being a medic; loved saving and healing the people around her, especially her team. But that didn't mean she had to like it when they came to her this way.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as she finished, long pink hair swinging around her face as Sakura moved to the sink. "The next time you two decide to throw each other around like rag dolls, at least have the decency to _not_ bleed all over my floor, please. Why didn't you take him to the hospital, Sai?" She demanded as she pulled out a clean towel from one of her drawers and began wetting it in the sink.

The ex ROOT operative gave her a slight shrug, his kunai gracefully slicing the almost finished apple into bite-sized portions. Green eyes zeroed in on him once again as she rung out the towel a bit too tightly. "Naruto insisted that it was not life-threatening and your house was closer than the hospital."

"Yeah, plus the hospital _reeks!"_ The blonde whined, scrunching his nose at the thought. Sakura smiled even as she rolled her eyes and began dabbing at the almost dried blood in his golden locks.

"It doesn't reek Naruto, that's the smell of disinfectant," she paused as she took a closer look at his head, "Did the bird cut you on your head too?"

He looked at her in apology as she groaned, tossing the bloody towel into the trash can. "I give up, just take a shower and I'll dig around for a change of clothes for you." She shooed him along in the direction of the bathroom with both of her hands and the blonde laughed as he complied.

The pinkette made her way back over to her grocery bag, sweeping her hair into a messy bun in the process. "Sakura, why are there bags under your eyes?"

Her body tensed but she forced herself to relax. She had to remind herself that Sai was relatively tactless when it came to the simplest of conversations, something she and Naruto tirelessly worked on with him. The blonde usually got so much glee out of laughing at the ex ROOT operative however that she suspected that he got a bit _too_ much entertainment out of it.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura closed the refrigerator door and faced him after taking her time in placing her yogurt and milk inside. "I've been very busy at the hospital Sai, you know that."

"Is that why your training has suffered?"

Sakura ground her teeth together, barely succeeding in stopping herself from stomping back over to the counter beside him where her paper bag sat. She stuck her hand in the bag with a little more gusto than needed, crumpling the poor thing in her frustration. "My training hasn't suffered." she replied shortly.

She brushed by him as she tossed her (now four) remaining apples into a basket on the island, cutting him an evil look because of it that he took no notice of. Sakura then swept the blonde boy's destroyed shirt off the ground and tossed it in the trash before grabbing his jacket and dumping it in her washing machine. She returned to the kitchen after setting the machine to clean the abused piece of clothing and remained silent, allowing Sai to mull over this piece of information.

Sai pondered this for a moment longer, his eyes never leaving her form as she bustled around the small kitchen, "You have not trained with me or Naruto in nearly two weeks. I can only assume that this means that your most important duty as a ninja is suffering, quite possibly altering the efficiency of our team—"

He was cut off as the pink headed woman appeared in front of him, gripping his cheeks between one of her hands as green eyes stared into his, "Sai, I will not fail to protect you, Kakashi or Naruto in any mission we are sent in to. I know you're just concerned about my health but I know what I'm doing. We will start training more often next week, okay?"

He nodded into her hand and she relaxed her grip, her hand falling to her side as she flicked some loose hair from her face. She knew that she needed to start taking care of herself more, but there was just so much to _do._ The hospital was swamped with everything from minor coughs and colds due to the weather to major issues that depleted her chakra and left her exhausted at the end of the day.

Guilt gnawed at her heart that even _Sai_ had noticed that she had been neglecting her team. They could be sent out at any second and though it was her duty to make sure she healed them if they got hurt, if she had any say in it, they wouldn't _get_ hurt in the first place. She had trained to get stronger both physically and mentally for them, she couldn't afford to slack off now. She chewed her lip in worry as she took the last item out of her destroyed bag, Sai apparently placated by her answer for now.

When was the last time she went out with one of her girlfriends? She couldn't remember. Crap. Ino was probably pissed.

Sakura stretched on her toes to put the tea in a higher cupboard when she felt a warm presence behind her. The tea leaves were plucked easily from her hands and slid into the cabinet above her.

She whirled around, almost breaking her nose on Naruto's chest as she did so. Sakura scowled lightly in annoyance. It wasn't fair. She knew he was taller; he didn't have to throw it in her face like that by making her feel even _tinier._

"Naruto I don't appreciate- _is that my shirt?"_

Her eyes locked on to the poor white t shirt that was stretched out across his pectorals, the article of clothing practically screaming in protest.

She hit him.

* * *

"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, rubbing his stomach where she had throttled him earlier.

The pink haired woman paid him no mind as she continued to rummage around in her drawers for something to clothe him in. Sakura sent him a glare over her shoulder as he flopped on his back gracelessly onto her bed, one hand over his belly as he continued to moan and groan. He was currently only clad in large grey sweatpants, the only thing of his that she could find at the moment. She maneuvered around him and the bed as she moved to open her closet.

"Why did my shirt have to suffer for your inability to call for help?" Came her muffled reply. She knew she kept some of his t shirts in here somewhere...

"You said _you_ would!" He cried, his blue eyes narrowed in a weak attempt to blame her.

Sakura scoffed, "What, did you think my innocent eyes couldn't handle the sight of your bare chest?" Her eyes finally settled on the stack of his t shirts on a shelf in her closet. With a triumphant cry, the pinkette emerged from the closet, her hair having fallen from the bun she had twisted it into, leaving her to blow stray pieces out of her face as she grinned down at him.

Naruto swallowed and fought the blush that he was sure was making it's way to his cheeks. She looked so beautiful. Her hair was back to being long and after being twisted into a bun, the pink strands held a slight wave that framed her smiling face. Naruto barely took into account what she was wearing, other than the fact that it was adorably oversized on her, probably her response to the cold weather outside. He grimaced internally at the thought of her knowing that he saw her as _adorable._ Blows would be thrown.

He couldn't believe that after all this time, all these years, his heart still belonged to her. He told himself that he was happy with the close friendship they had now, and in a way he was. But there was still a part of him that wanted her near him, wanted her to return the devotion and love he gave her.

Green eyes flooded with concern as her smile began to falter, "Naruto, are you alright?"

He chuckled nervously, his stomach doing flips as she came closer to peer at him, her concern overriding any annoyance from before.

He cleared his throat and choked out, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sakura's eyes narrowed as the boy tried to grab the shirt and sit up. She jerked the shirt out of reach and used a fraction of her chakra-induced strength to shove him back against the bed. One hand fisted in the shirt by his head and the other went back to the skin of his stomach. Green glowed from her hand once again, the warm sensation trickling through his system.

"I didn't even hit you that hard," she grumbled.

Naruto lay perfectly still, not telling her that her hair was tickling his face or that the fact that she had quite literally manhandled him did nothing but make him admire her more. He averted his eyes and held his breath. He couldn't afford to lose so much ground that he'd gained over the years by acting on impulse.

His suffering was cut short by a voice in the doorway, "Is he dying?"

Sakura let out a huff as she finished healing the barely bruised nerves in Naruto's muscles. Thin pink eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. The blonde's behavior had nothing to do with his physical condition, she was sure.

"No I'm not dying Sai!" Naruti shouted, practically leaping off her bed as if it had suddenly caught fire.

Her pensive gaze dropped as she threw the shirt at Naruto's face. He seamlessly caught it and easily slipped it on, his eyes settling everywhere but her face.

"What is this, invade-Sakura's-personal-space day? Get out of my room." She demanded, grabbing both Sai and Naruto by their collars and tossing them into the living room before making her way back into the kitchen. The boys could hear her rummaging around in her cabinets before her voice carried out to them once again, "I'm going to make some lunch if you two would like to stick around."

"Alright!"

"Yes, I'm hungry."

Sakura smiled lightly to herself as she pulled a cutting board out and slid it onto the counter, her mouth turning into a frown as she realized that something was rolling her board over the counter. Lifting it and peering beneath, green eyes narrowed before an evil smile spread across her lips.

She grabbed the offending object and turned towards the living room, "Oh Sai?" She called sweetly, and before he could move, an apple core bounced off the side of his head. Naruto guffawed before doubling over in a fit of laughter at the shock and confusion on the pale boy's face.

"I'm _not_ your maid, clean up after yourself."

* * *

The flower shop was always a welcomed sight in Sakura's world. It meant calming scents, beautiful flowers, and most importantly, one of her closest friends. When they were younger, they would pick the flowers and get infinite glee out of helping Ino's dad make bouquets for various occasions. Now, Ino worked there to help out her parents when she could spare the time between the hospital, friends and her team.

Sakura adjusted the sweater she had on over her dress, silently thanking the gods for the warmer weather as spring slowly approached Konoha. She smoothed her hand over her head as she made sure that her hair was descent in the reflection of the shop window before pulling on the glass door to let herself in to the shop. A soft bell chimed above her, and she noted with no small amount of humor that the blonde girl behind the counter didn't even raise her head to acknowledge the presence.

"Well well well," Ino sang as she flipped another page in the magazine her nose was stuck in before raising her eyes to meet a guilty looking pinkette, "If it isn't the biggest forehead in the land. I was beginning to think that you had become permanently infused to the hospital wall."

Sakura scoffed and tossed a box onto the counter, "Good to see you too Ino-Pig, and to think, I even brought you a present."

The blonde grinned before grabbing the box, making a noise of delight before hugging it to her chest, "Sweets! You sure know the way to my heart, Sakura." She paused, "Well that, or you spoke to Chouji."

The pink haired girl laughed before rounding the counter and lightly hopping up to sit, swinging her legs idly as Ino tore into the package. Mouth now full of candy, narrowed blue eyes looked up to meet her friend's, "But seriously, where have you been lately? You look terrible."

"I've been _busy._ " Sakura groaned, rubbing her face with her hands. Gods, how awful did she look?

Ino grunted, licking her lips as she finished off the square of chocolate she had been eating, " _Busy_ is an understatement. You look like someone punched you in _both_ eyes," that answered that question, "And none of the Konoha Eleven have seen you—no, scratch that, _I_ haven't seen you in weeks. We're going to have a girl's night. Tonight." She declared, eyes glimmering at the thought.

She held up a hand when Sakura began to protest, "Ah, I don't want to hear it Forehead. I'll be there at seven."

* * *

"Hm maybe there is something to say for these things." Sakura sighed, leaning back against her couch, her legs stretched out in front of her.

Multiple facial products, food and nail polish surrounded the two girls sitting on the floor, their backs against the foot of the couch as they allowed the cream on their faces to set in. Ino had swept in to Sakura's small home like a tornado, pulling pillows from everywhere she could find them and scattering them on the floor while dumping all of her beauty products on the table in the living room.

The blonde then proceeded to shove all the rest of the furniture against the walls and pull the pocky and other sweets she brought out of her bag to munch on. Sakura had merely laughed and joined her friend on the pillows, stuffing herself on candy and chocolates until she collapsed into her current position.

The pink haired girl pulled down the hem of her smock and adjusted the towel both girls wrapped their hair in to keep the strands from dripping water everywhere.

"I told you. Plus, this will help with all of the stress lines you've probably been acquiring from working too much." Ino responded, with a bit too much cheeriness in her voice.

Sakura opened an eye to cut her a weak glare before sliding her eye shut once again. She lifted her hand to gently blow on the fresh coat of dark green polish now adorning her nails, courtesy of Ino, before replying, "Someone has to do it."

"Oh _yes_ like the other dozens of nurses or med-nin couldn't take some of it on themselves."

She knew she was being a petulant child about the whole thing. The truth was, she simply didn't like not feeling useful. Maybe it was a scar from her past or maybe she just liked staying active in something she knew she was good at, but that didn't give her an excuse to neglect the people around her.

Ino could live off the company of her family and team; the same could be said of Hinata and Tenten. Sakura knew that she didn't really have to worry about them much until they decided to raid her house for a lack of anything else better to do and proceed to nag her about coming out more often.

Her boys, on the other hand, were a completely different story.

Kakashi, though protective of his team (and deep, deep down, she suspected he really loved and cared about them), was more than likely to stay in his apartment like a hermit rather than seek out comradeship with anyone.

Sai—well, he was _Sai._ He had the social skills of a small child yes, but even so Sakura enjoyed his company in small doses. However, the fact of the matter was that he was often as busy as she was. Sakura knew that no one really quits ANBU, and he had been gone when she stopped by on more than one occasion. She was quite sure that he wouldn't note her absence if someone hadn't complained or pointed it out to him.

That left Naruto. She let out a small sigh, bringing her other hand up to attempt to get those nails to dry faster as well. It made sense that the blonde haired boy would immediately notice her absence, and probably wasn't quiet about it either. That explained why Sai had questioned her about it the other day, but why hadn't Naruto asked her about it himself?

She and the blonde haired ninja had grown closer over the years and she was more fond of him now than she ever remembered being in the past. Just thinking about the way she used to treat him made her want to cringe and hug him just to reassure herself that she didn't ruin his sunny personality with her horrendous behavior.

Fingers snapping in front of her face brought her back to the present. She scowled at an irritated Ino, "What?" she snapped.

"Glad to see you're back to the land of the living," she pointed a manicured hand to the pink girl's face, "You're starting to flake."

Sakura grinned despite herself, causing more flakes to fall off and her friend burst into laughter before pushing the pink haired girl into the bathroom.

* * *

Naruto shifted his weight uncomfortably under the scrutinizing glare of the Hokage. He rubbed the back of his neck as the stare seemed to carry enough heat to burn the flesh directly from his bones. Uneasy blue eyes glanced at the clock hanging on the wall once again.

Finally, the blonde woman broke the silence, leaning back into her chair and clasping her hands under her chin, "I understand your concern Naruto, but I cannot bar her from the hospital."

"I'm not asking for that! Just…I don't know, limit her time there?" He finished uneasily, his statement lilting into a question as a slim blonde eyebrow rose to the woman's hair line in front of him.

Tsunade pursed her lips as her golden eyes narrowed at the boy—well, man she supposed—standing in front of her. She constantly had to remind herself that Naruto had grown into a powerful ninja in his travels with Jiraya and was in fact an adult. She was grateful that her apprentice had someone like him by her side almost constantly.

Allowing herself a small smile at the deep concern in his blue eyes, Tsunade took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I will consider what you suggest. I worry about her as well, trust me, and I know that she takes too much on her shoulders." She paused, her eyes cutting to the clock once again, "It's odd, Sakura's never late and she's now twenty minutes past her time on her meeting with me."

Naruto frowned. It was very unlike Sakura to miss these types of things and even less likely to forget about them. His stomach clenched in worry. Even though he knew she was out of the majority of danger in the village, that did not exclude someone from sneaking in and trying to take out the Hokage's apprentice.

"Perhaps you should go look for her and tell her to meet me as soon as possible."

Not needing to be told twice, the blonde left the office with only a gust of wind behind him.

* * *

Sakura was jerked awake and the first thing she saw was blue. She smiled sleepily as she reached out to touch the deep blue color and mumbled, "So nice."

Someone grabbed her hand from where it reached out, "Sakura-chan?"

Green eyes snapped to attention at Naruto's voice, quickly sitting up from where she had collapsed on the floor by the couch. A crinkling noise brought her attention to a piece of paper taped to her front. Sakura's mind briefly flashed to hearing her friend leaving a few hours ago, now regretting her decision to close her eyes for what she thought was a few minutes.

Naruto's hand was a comforting presence on the small of her back to her foggy mind as she skimmed the letter, a scowl beginning to form on her lips. She groaned, "I knew I shouldn't have let her talk me into that sake. She just left me on the floor too! The nerve!"

The pinkette huffed as she let her head fall against Naruto's chest, "What're you doing here so early, Naruto?"

Her head was jostled as the blonde chuckled uneasily, "Um…you had a meeting with Tsunade-sama this morning Sakura-chan. She sent me to—"

" _Gods!"_

She flew from Naruto's hold, springing to her feet as she darted to her room, obstinately ignoring the dizziness that caused the world to tilt in front of her. Her bedroom door slammed and she quickly grabbed the first outfit she laid her hands on, yanking on the black tights and oversized sweater after discarding her smock on the ground near her hamper.

Sakura opened her door, almost running right into Naruto, his hand frozen in the air raised as if to knock. She quickly patted his chest, gently shoving him out of the way and went to pull on her boots. "I can't believe I overslept. She's going to kill me. I'm dead." The clips on her boots clicked into place under her efficient hands.

"It'll be okay, Sakura-chan. It's only thirty minutes past eight—"

" _Thirty minutes?_ Oh my gods." If possible, the girl seemed to move faster as she swept her coat off the rack by the door, her head snapping to the amused blue eyes that watched her, "Is that all you wore in this weather? _Naruto,_ it's cold outside!"

Pink hair flew behind her as she bustled back into her room, emerging quickly with a deep blue scarf that she proceeded to wrap around the blonde's neck, muttering quietly about how he should be taking better care of himself. She fluffed it up around him once more before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door.

* * *

"Naruto, wait outside." Tsunade barked, causing the blonde to come to a screeching halt in the doorway as he reluctantly let go of Sakura's hand. She looked over her shoulder to throw him quick smile before closing the door behind her.

He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and pressed his back against the wall across from the Hokage's door.

When he had opened the door to Sakura's home that morning, the last thing he thought he'd find was the girl curled on the floor of her living room surrounded by what looked like wrappers and sake bottles. A blush rose to his cheeks as his attention was quickly stolen by the sight of long lean legs left bare by the short smock she was clad in. Shaking his head free of such thoughts, Naruto had assessed her condition to make sure she was alright.

The tightness in his chest at her curled form sleeping soundly in front of him was hard to breathe around as he knelt beside her. Her hair was stretched everywhere, the locks seeming to have been wet when she fell asleep, causing them to frizz in the night from her tossing and turning. He gently brushed aside some hair from her forehead before shaking her shoulder to wake her up. He was loathe to begrudge her on sleep, but he knew Tsunade wouldn't be happy if he totally disregarded her orders.

She had opened her eyes and reached out to him, apparently in an attempt to cup his cheek as she mumbled something incoherent under her breath. Naruto instantly had half a mind to completely scrap the whole thing; just pick her up and take her to bed and deal with the consequences of the Hokage himself. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that Sakura would be pissed if she found out that he did that.

He tried to keep the affection from showing on his face as she bustled here and there in an attempt to get ready, but his control wavered intensely when she questioned his attire. The blonde really hadn't given much thought to dressing for the weather that morning—or any morning for that matter—and had just thrown on a pair of pants and a long sleeved shirt. However, the fact that Sakura had gone out of her way to make sure he was warm did something to his heart.

Naruto had to ruthlessly beat down the butterflies that entered his stomach as she wrapped her scarf around him and looked up at him with deep care in her eyes. He chose to ignore whatever she was mumbling to herself (probably something along the lines of him not listening to her) and had instead focused on making sure that his hands remained in his pockets and didn't move to pull her closer to him.

It made him happier than words could say when she didn't drop his hand as they plowed through the village. Granted, it was probably more of a method to keeping them together, but he would take what he could get.

He tugged at the scarf that smelled faintly of her and couldn't help the goofy grin that stretched across his features before the sound of raised voices interrupted his musings. Naruto barely had time to register that they were coming from the office in front of him when the door was torn open and a very angry Sakura marched through.

The pink haired girl stomped by him and he peered in to catch the eye of a mischievous looking Tsunade who gave him a thumbs up and a wink. Naruto quickly rushed to catch up with the steaming girl, catching her right before she exited the building.

"Sakura-chan, what—"

"We're going to the training grounds. Now."

If there was one thing Naruto had learned during the length of time they had been teammates and friends, it was when to shut up and follow her.

* * *

1\. First of all, I missed fanfiction and I missed you guys. That is my excuse for publishing a story when I have so much else going on in my life.

2\. The title for this chapter and story is actually a proverb that is misused a lot of the time, and it originally meant that men in war had closer bonds because their lives were in each other's hands. Water is referring to the water of the womb. So, essentially, this proverb is telling you that your bond to battlefield companions (blood) is closer to you than family (water). Neat, right?

3\. You're welcome.

4\. ANYWAY, this story will most likely be light all the way through (unless my mood changes, which it does more often than I would like it to) since we're dealing with a romance between Naruto and Sakura. Also, before anyone sets my story on fire for altering canon, wait a second. I've always been a big NaruSaku shipper (they're just closer and more complex, even though Sakura was a major bitch to him—but I'll get to all that later). Nothing against Hinata, she's a badass in her own right; but I think Kishimoto let us down with all the prominent women in Naruto at the end, honestly. Just kind of narrowed them down into neat little squares, fixed them up nicely with a man, and went on his merry way. That's not going to happen here. Rant over!

5\. Also, yes, Sasuke will be addressed eventually.

6\. SO this story will focus on characterization, bonds, and the emotional roller coaster that is life. There's no hardcore plotline yet, but I will let you know if that changes.

 **Please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

Sakura crushed her fist into the ground below her, sending the blond boy flying into the air to avoid her attack. Jade eyes narrowed as she tried to gauge where he would attack from next, barely throwing her weight to the left in time to avoid his fist. Falling into a backbend to dodge a roundhouse kick, Sakura used her momentum to backflip multiple times, tossing tagged kunai halfheartedly as a distraction.

She knew it was never good to engage Naruto in up close hand to hand combat, enhanced chakra strength or not, but she had to get her anger out somehow. Someone had tattled to Tsuanade-sama and told her that her apprentice was taking too much on herself. The notion that she couldn't handle herself made her bristle with anger, and her knee-jerk reaction was to punch something to impress upon her doubters that she was not _weak_. Unfortunately for Naruto, he was the closest.

Sakura succeeded in gaining some distance between the two of them, leaping into the treetops and landing in a crouch on a branch near the base as her tags exploded below.

She dragged pink locks away from her neck, redoing the sloppy bun that held them away from her sweaty face before tugging on the zipper of the jacket she currently wore. Being so eager to get to the training grounds in all her fury, she hadn't considered her sweater getting dirty. Normally, she wouldn't care, but the item had been a splurge last winter and she couldn't bear the thought of tearing it up already. By the time this thought crossed her mind, they were already there and she'd be damned if she had to sprint all the way back to her house to grab some training clothes.

Sakura had flicked her eyes to the man standing in front of her before shrugging and taking off her sweater. It wasn't like she was naked underneath; her layers of bandages binding her chest covered everything except the expanse of her belly. Besides, she was sure he had seen her in less before; it came with the territory of being the only girl on an otherwise all-boy team.

He had taken one look at her as she stood there completely unfazed in the cool morning air and raised an eyebrow before unzipping his orange and black jacket and handing it to her. Sakura didn't try to hide her amused expression as she pulled the ridiculous piece of clothing on and zipped it up halfway before bending down and cuffing her pants to keep them out of the way.

After sarcastically twirling for him to show off her new attire (which left him rolling his eyes and clapping even as he grinned at her) and finding a dry spot for her sweater and his scarf under a tree, the pinkette spun on her heel and punted him across the field.

Movement in the smoke below snapped her out of her revere as the branch beneath her was shattered into pieces under her feet. Sakura quickly jabbed one of her kunai into the base of the tree, using it to swing around to another branch above her before crushing it with her heel towards the blond figure moving towards her. The falling branch caused Naruto to change his course and gave Sakura the opportunity to drop down and land her foot directly in the center of his back.

She pushed, trying to make them fall faster before the boy below her could turn this to his advantage. Green eyes narrowed too late as Naruto twisted in midair, grabbing her ankle and anchoring her foot to his chest. The pink haired girl quickly began channeling chakra to her foot with the intention of kicking off of him but intense pain suddenly shot through her leg. With a quick movement of his hands, he snapped her ankle in his effort to throw her below him and gain the advantage.

A gasp barely had time to pass her lips before she was suddenly released; Naruto's failed attempt to swing her below him causing her to shoot out sideways instead. The pinkette took down a few trees before gaining her bearings and flipping to land on her uninjured foot against the side of tree she approached. Green light flared beneath the foot as it cushioned her from being bashed against another tree before the force of the chakra snapped it in half.

Sakura was finally motionless as she landed on her hands and knees on stable ground. She allowed herself to pause and catch her breath for a moment before the throbbing in her ankle incessantly brought itself to her attention. Pushing on her hands to land on her butt and stretch her legs out in front of her, she groaned at the sight of her mangled ankle.

Naruto's voice called out to her from somewhere in the trees above her, "Sakura? Sakura-chan!"

She listened as the leaves above her rustled before the blond landed a few feet in front of her. Sakura glanced at him and gave him a small smile of reassurance before stretching her hands out in front of her and grabbing her leg and foot. The bone slightly protruded from the skin and there was severe bleeding going on from the bulging wound, allowing her to see a little bit of her muscle tissue as it gaped open.

Ignoring whatever Naruto was fretting about aloud, the girl briskly pulled and twisted on her ankle before she heard the snap of her bone falling back into place. Green light flickered to life between her hands as she began to heal the bone and the wound around it before realizing that the loudmouthed boy had gone silent.

Sakura craned her neck to look at him as she finished up working on her ankle. A frown pulled at her lips when she realized he was looking away from her with his eyebrows scrunched together. She knew that look. He was frustrated about something.

Pulling her hands away from the newly healed appendage, Sakura sat back against the shredded tree behind her as she eyed the boy standing stiffly in front of her, "Naruto?"

He didn't answer her and instead crossed his arms before shifting in place—another sign that he was truly upset. Green eyes narrowed dangerously at him before she uprooted some scarce dry grass and tossed it at him. His head snapped in her direction as she halfheartedly threw a twig at him, and anything else she could find on the forest floor.

He took deep breath before rubbing the back of his neck, "I didn't mean to break your ankle."

"I know you didn't," she let out a light laugh before pointedly moving her ankle around gingerly, "but it's okay." She knew better than to move it around too much, since the muscle tissue surrounding it was still sore.

Naruto didn't look convinced as he eyed the battered girl in front of him, noting her slight wince when she rolled her ankle too far to test its stability. The boy let out a deep sigh before collapsing beside her and sitting close enough next to her to touch her shoulder with his. Her head rolled to rest on his shoulder and they sat in comfortable silence for some time.

Sakura enjoyed these moments with him. She took comfort in the way she could feel him breathing next to her as the forest around them made soothing noises that lulled her into a feeling of safety. Sakura knew that these moments of peace were too easily taken for granted when she was younger and was determined to not let that happen again. Her hand reached out and squeezed his forearm gently, trying to convey that she was really alright and that he didn't need to worry.

Naruto lifted his lips in a slight smile before breaking the peaceful silence between them. "So what were you and Baa-chan yelling about earlier that made you so mad?"

She pursed her lips, "Did you tell Tsunade-sama that I wasn't getting enough rest?"

* * *

She said the words calmly, but that was most likely due to their quiet surroundings and the fact that they had just sparred quite heavily. He had a feeling that if this were not the case, there would be much more yelling.

Her head hadn't moved from the spot where she had laid it on his shoulder earlier, so he wasn't sure if she could sense his panic or if she had just taken his silence as a yes. Either way, Sakura's quiet voice once again rang out clearly in front of them.

"She has limited the time I can be at the hospital. Four days out of the seven in a week. 'Preferably not on weekends.'" Sakura mimicked her master dryly, causing Naruto to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He had a feeling that it would just get him punched.

A frustrated huff of air erupted between her lips before she turned to press her nose against his shoulder, "I just don't know what to do with myself. I don't want to slack with my medical ninjutsu but I also need to train and there's this new technique I was reading about but there's also the fact that spring is rolling around so that means an influx of missions." Her muffled groan came from behind the overly large jacket that swallowed her hand as she grabbed his shirt sleeve. "Which means an influx of patients as well. But should I be sent on missions or kept here to heal those that come back?"

Naruto put his free hand on top of her head and took a deep breath, "You put too much pressure on yourself. You're so worried about everything and everyone else but yourself, Sakura." The strain in his voice was clear, causing the pink haired girl to frown into his shoulder.

"You will literally work yourself into the ground if no one takes care to stop you. I thought you might listen to me or Sai but you weren't and just _looking_ at you makes me worried and—"

He abruptly halted in his tirade, taking another deep breath to gain some control over his emotions. He glanced out of the corner of his eye when her presence was lost to him to see her sitting up and picking at the sleeves of the jacket she wore. The blond boys heart swelled to see her wearing his jacket, the crest on her back looking perfectly in place on her petite frame.

Naruto blinked when he realized she was looking at him expectantly. Apparently she had said something and was now waiting for his answer. He cleared his throat, "What's that?"

Sakura smiled lightly before dropping her gaze to her hands again, "I said thank you. For watching out for me."

Before he could respond, she was on her feet, "Now come on, I'm starving."

Blinking at her retreating form, he darted after her to try and race to grab the discarded sweater and scarf before she could. When he dove to scoop them up, she ran up behind him and jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his neck as she laughed. Naruto quickly grabbed her beneath both of her knees and hiked her up so she wouldn't slip off his back.

He halfheartedly grumbled to himself but he couldn't wipe the goofy smile from his face. Naruto tossed the sweater and scarf on one shoulder while Sakura hooked her chin over the other.

"Hey, you owe me. You snapped my ankle like a twig, remember?"

* * *

Ichiraku's was quickly overtaken by the majority of the Konoha Eleven and Sakura found herself at a table with the girls while the boys piled in to the table next to them. The pinkette poked at her ramen while Ino retold the latest clan drama at the Yamananka's and tried to sort through her thoughts. She had slipped out of Naruto's jacket and handed it back to him before entering their go-to restaurant and now cozily bundled up in her sweater in the cool weather.

Sakura was so used to always _doing_ something that the term "relaxing" hardly applied to her or her life. She needed to find something to do. Something to improve on while she was on this god-forsaken restriction. Maybe she could go by the library later and find some books on more jutsu's or approach Kakashi or Tsunade about learning another technique. She could always pester Naruto to let her look at his arm again. Her mood began to lift as more ideas began to flip through her mind.

"Are you alright Sakura?" A quiet voice rang in her ear, turning her attention to the Hyuuga sitting next to her.

Hinata looked at her earnestly with her milky eyes before daintily placing her chopsticks down next to her bowl, signaling that the pink haired kunoichi had her undivided attention. Sakura took a breath and smiled, "I just have a lot on my mind."

The girl nodded, glancing at the Ino and Tenten, who were apparently having a deep conversation over the differences in breaking a person's mind over their body. Naturally, Ino was attempting to talk over the weapon's mistress while Tenten scowled and continued to argue at a more level tone anyway.

"Naruto keeps looking over here like he thinks you're about to fall over. Did something happen?"

Sakura frowned as she scanned the table next to her, only to find blue eyes quickly dart away. She suppressed a smile and twisted her lips into a scowl, "He really shouldn't worry. It didn't even hurt that much and I healed it right away."

Confusion glittering in her eyes, Hinata raised a questioning eyebrow, prompting her to recount that day's training session.

"I was mad at being treated like a child by everyone and Naruto was just the unfortunate person to bear the brunt of my frustration." She shrugged, "I would have broken my ankle too." She laughed, stuffing her mouth with a piece of broccoli for lack of something to do.

Hinata smiled slightly and shook her head as she closed her eyes. "I don't think that's why he's looking over here so often."

A slim pink eyebrow rose in confusion, but Ino quickly trampled over her train of thought, "So Hinata, you and Kiba huh?"

A blush blasted across the dark haired girl's face, prompting Ino to laugh outright and Sakura's jaw to drop. Ino's hand slapped the table as a look of unabashed glee spread across her features, "Good for you! You're getting more than Forehead over here then!"

The pink haired girl growled, raising a very choice finger in her best friend's direction. Ino merely smiled while ramen bulged in her cheeks like a squirrel. Tenten shot a questioning look in Sakura's direction, "Why don't you go out on more dates, Sakura?"

She opened her mouth to reply but was quickly cut off by her the loudmouthed Yamanaka once again, "She's 'too busy.'" Air quotes were in full effect as she said this, prompting Sakura to roll her eyes. She tried not to let these things bother her, since she knew her friends were just picking on her for entertainment. Still, she couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed when even Hinata laughed at her expense.

Wishing they would just drop the topic of her love life (or lack thereof), Sakura directed her glare at the girl with the twin buns sitting in front of her, "What about you, Tenten? Have you and Neji finally stopped playing beat-around-the-bush and gone on a real date yet?"

Said girl choked on the water she had been drinking as Ino sarcastically beat her on the back while grinning mercilessly. Sakura smirked smugly as the weapons mistress caught her breath and sent her a damning glare.

"We all know what it's like to be attracted to the quiet, brooding type. There's nothing to be ashamed of Tenten!" Ino giggled into her hand and Sakura idly wondered how much she'd had to drink. "Sakura knows how hard it is to win someone like that over, especially."

It seemed to Sakura like the entire restaurant immediately quieted. She knew that this was just her imagination; the dull roaring sound in her ears making everything seem muted. Her stomach felt like it was flipping over, nausea building in her throat as the girls all stilled and stared wide eyed at her and Ino.

Sakura wanted to yell. She wanted to throw things and scream; she would never be rid of him. Never would anyone look at her and have another thought besides, "There she is. There's the girl who was in love with Uchiha Sasuke."

No matter how hard she pushed to make something more of herself, he was a ghost constantly at her back. Sakura was the Godaime's apprentice, she was almost on par with Tsunade and Shizune with her medical skills and could toss around men twice her size with ease. She was a veteran of the Fourth Shinobi War and had enough chakra to form the yin seal like her master. But that didn't matter to anyone. She was forever branded with that scar, that shame of having had a teammate that treated her like she was nothing while she tried to give him everything.

She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name, but she paid them no mind as she tossed a few notes on the table and calmly made her way out of Ichirakus. The air in there was stale and made her lungs burn. Maybe it was the close sitting space. Maybe it was the anger that laced through her heart.

* * *

A gut feeling in his stomach immediately snapped Naruto's to the girl's table beside them. Tenten was choking on water and Sakura seemed satisfied. Shrugging off the odd feeling he'd had, blue eyes turned to face Kiba once again.

"What's up with you man? You've been spaced out all night." Kiba scratched at his ear before hooking his hands behind his head, looking remarkably like his companion Akamaru.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and grinned, "Ah, nothing! Just...tired." The excuse sounded feeble to his own ears, but he hoped Kiba would not care enough to press the issue. The girls at the table had gotten awfully quiet, and his eyes were practically burning from the effort to keep himself from looking over to make sure everything was okay.

No dice. "Yeah right, you're never tired." He leaned across the table towards him, flashing his canines in a toothy grin. "What're you hiding?"

"I...uh..." Damnit, he couldn't take it any longer. His eyes quickly swept over the table beside them, catching Sakura as she stood to leave. Her blank expression sent alarms off in his head. Ino called her name but his teammate ignored her and left the restaurant without looking back.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed, "So troublesome."

Before he really knew what he was doing, Naruto was pushing out of his chair and rising to his feet to follow her. A hand came own on his forearm, halting his movements. Resisting the urge to shake off the vice grip holding him, blue eyes cut to the lazy Nara who had halted his path. "Naruto, we both know the one thing that would make her act like that; let her be."

Shikamaru's mouth flattened as the blond shook his head and tore his arm away, marching off in the direction Sakura had gone.

Emerging from the small restaurant, Naruto's head swiveled side to side, finding no hint of the medic anywhere. Night had fallen since they met up with the rest of their friends, and her chakra signal was dimmed to where he couldn't pick it out. She had obviously gone somewhere to be alone. He sighed in frustration, his breath visible in the cold weather, and scuffed his shoe against the ground.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he glanced over his shoulder at the restaurant he had just left. There was no way in hell he was going back in there so Shikamaru could rub salt into the wound that he couldn't find her. With nothing else better to do, Naruto made his way to her house, hoping that by the time he got there, she would be too.

* * *

She wrapped her arms around herself as she approached the bridge they had so often met at when they were younger. Team 7—the team that uncannily resembled the three Sannin from all those years ago. They had been destined for great things as a team, and Sakura couldn't help but feel a pang of irony that one of them had defected in similar fashion.

Leaning so that her stomach pressed against the railing as her arms folded above it, she watched the water churn beneath her while her mind drifted. She wasn't so dense anymore to call the past the "better days." She might be inclined to do so if it weren't for her cringe worthy behavior towards Naruto and Sasuke's obvious betrayal.

Anger pulsed through her veins, making her face heat up even while the cool breeze whipped against it. _He_ had ruined it. He had ruined their entire team. Not only had he caused never-ending gossip for her, but their reputation as a team was called into question.

When she was younger, she had been drawn to him. Sakura had always enjoyed a challenge, and though she knew little to nothing about the boy, she had practically declared her undying love at the age of twelve. She saw him as someone she could fix and make happy again. Someone who needed her to lean on and be strong. His constant refusal and hurtful words of her being useless and annoying did nothing to deter her. There she was again—wanting to be useful to someone, somehow.

She swiped at some stray hair flying in her face in frustration. How horribly embarrassing to look back at how she had acted towards Naruto in favor of the dark-haired asshole. She squeezed her eyes shut as the wind picked up and blew bubblegum strands around her face messily. Sakura's mind flipped to multiple occasions when Naruto would ask her the very questions she asked Sasuke. And, true to form, she had rejected him in the same callous manner the Uchiha had done to her. Instead of taking the higher road and being the teammate she was supposed to be, she had continued to make Naruto feel lower than her.

That had all changed when he had nearly died protecting her on one of their failed attempts to return Sasuke to Konoha. She remembered that night like it was yesterday even though it was coming on two years since then. In fact, she still had nightmares about it today. Her arms were elbow-deep in his chest cavity after he had shoved her out of the way of one of Sasuke's attacks. She had been distracted while she attacked one of his snakes and hadn't snapped in time to move. The Uchiha had faltered after landing the blow against Naruto instead of her, and had disappeared shortly after Kakashi made a lunge for him.

Sakura stayed with him the entire night, even after other medics arrived to help, pouring all of her chakra into his body to keep him breathing and alive. She would never forget the momentous effort dragging herself from his bedside for a few moments to wash the red staining her forearms. How she sobbed as she scrubbed it off. Her eyes finally opened to the realization that she would die for him, and that he would do the same for her.

She was trying her damndest now to make up for those pivotal years of cut downs towards him. Idly, she bent down and snatched a stray twig from the ground and snapped it into pieces before tossing it into the current below. She knew that she was one of those who caused him the most pain back then, and vowed to never do that again. She was now never one to reject him when he reached for a hug and was quick to accept his invitations to go eat or hang out together. The medic was determined to be the teammate she should have been all along.

She knew that Naruto would probably never show her or anyone else how much it had hurt him for Sasuke to turn his back on everyone. Naruto had viewed him as a brother, someone who understood what it was like to be orphaned at a young age, and probably still saw him as such. It just made Sakura that much angrier at the bastard. He could hurt her all he wanted, she knew now how to pick herself up, but Naruto deserved better than to be treated in such a way.

After the war, Sasuke left before Naruto could say anything and had yet to return. He gave no inclination of his planning to return at all, and a part of Sakura was glad for it. Sasuke was alive and free from those who he thought could put him on the quick path to power. He was a grown man now, and the only danger he had to face out there was himself. She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself before wandering over to the other side of the bridge to watch as the little pieces of twig raced away from her.

 _She_ knew that, but if the pain on Naruto's face at the mention of his other teammate was any indication, he would not allow Sasuke to wander the countryside searching for gods-know-what for much longer.

Green orbs looked up with a huff of air, flipping so that her back and elbows pressed against the railing as her head rolled back to gaze at the stars above her. She blew hot air out of her mouth and watched as her breath curled up and away from her. She still remembered the promise Naruto had given her swearing to bring Sasuke back and felt her heart lurch.

She wasn't sure if she wanted him back anymore.

* * *

Sakura could tell by the dampness of his hair that he had used her shower and gave a light smile as she tip-toed around him to make her way to her bedroom.

After walking around the village a bit more, Sakura had finally decided to head home and get some rest before her shift at the hospital the next morning. All she wanted to do was go home, throw herself in the shower, and fall into bed. What she hadn't been expecting was to find Naruto with his head flopped back as he sprawled against a corner of her couch with deep, even breaths coming from his frame.

Emerging from the shower a few minutes later, she donned a large long sleeved tee and shorts before padding back out to her living room. Grabbing a blanket off the back of her couch, she draped it across the blond before pulling another off her bed and wrapping it around herself. Sakura sidled up against him and leaned against his chest before he shifted to get more comfortable, his heavy arm sleepily draping across her waist.

He didn't seem to mind her using him as a heater and she snuggled closer to him, breathing in his comforting scent as she drifted into sleep.

* * *

1\. This chapter feels kind of slow to me, but it was really necessary to get the background settled a little bit.

2\. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, I hope I don't let you guys down!

Let me know what you think about it all.

 **Please review!**


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